Speak Life! '...Because of what you said, your child is free!'

An attack that the devil brings against children of God is an attack against your REST.
Rest is not inactivity,  it is living in a state of peace of mind, knowing that we are under the Protection of God and have access to His Provision. Often the thing that hinders rest is the lack of understanding of our identity.

Did you know, that by what you confess, by the words you declare in faith, about yourself, about who you are and who God has called you to be, you can access God's power and have victory over the areas that the devil has brought against you or your children.

There is an awesome story in the Bible that gives us an example of this. Remember that every story in the Bible is a testimony to you and I of how Almighty God deals with man. It is a history of God's interactions but often gives us examples and patterns to follow.

  Mark 7:25...a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

A few facts that stand out to me are:

1. Little Children can become possessed by demon spirits.
2. We don't know what the demon was
3. We don't know how or why the demon got there?
4. Parents have a responsibility to seek deliverance on behalf of their kids.

This woman came to Jesus begging him for his help. Lets quickly define the obvious. What do we call it when a person goes to Jesus, talks to Jesus, and Jesus who is God, responds back? We call that Prayer!

How interesting it would be to look back on the gospels and see some of the conversations that people had with Jesus not just as conversations but as prayers...

This is how Jesus answers her:

27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “...for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he told her, “For such a reply (because of what you said), you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone!

Again we know the little girl was possessed by a demon, we don't know the demons name or how it got there, the mom comes to Jesus and prays to him for deliverance for her daughter.

In her conversation with Jesus she says a statement of faith! She declares that she knows she is unworthy in her own mind but she believes that she also has access to the blessings of God that fall from His table. I just need a crumb of bread. In this simple response... a declaration of identity; JESUS I HAVE ACCESS, I HAVE THE RIGHT TO RECIEVE FROM YOU, EVEN SOMETHING SMALL. I HAVE ACCESS TO A CRUMB!!! For this statement of hers, the demon was cast out, and rest came to the little girl where there was once torment! There was no negotiating with the devil, no need to get into a dramatic standoff with the demonic. (At times that happens in the gospels and still happens today)

This is such an encouraging story. If a family member or a loved one is going through an oppression or a demonic attack, we need to bring that need to Jesus and declare the access that we have to His Power & Provision. The victory over the demonic is not about our qualification but it is about the power that you have access to. Today bring your child's needs to Jesus. Declare who you are and declare who He is. That enemy that has tried to steal your REST will be cast out!

The 2014 High School Student & The 2014 Church

About a year ago, in preparation for this new phase of life: marriage, new house etc, I got a secular job.

 Along with all the ministry and traveling that I was doing, I got a secular job where I was interacting and tutoring Public High School & College age students. Often it was one-on-one or in a group setting of 2-3 students. Occasionally I would complain about why God had me in that position not understanding that He is the one that opens and closes doors.  I was reminded about something my late father often said: 'Never be afraid to work hard, the only thing to be ashamed of is if you are a thief. I never imagined myself doing any kind of secular work but truly this was one of the greatest advantages that I believe I have now in ministry. I have a years experience interacting with secular, modern youth in a neutral setting.

I wish that I could introduce you to Amanda, Kristen, Carlos, Blake, Brian, Andrew, Britney and many of the 500+ students that I have tutored. Through the experience of teaching in a public context, I have met the 2014 Modern High-School Student, up close and personal. One thing that has been encouraging is about 80% of the time in the middle of our 1 or 2 hour sessions, something always came up about God.

Today's High School Student is not as close minded or agnostic as we think of the subject of God, Faith or Religion. In fact I have seen most kids today are very open to hearing and even instantly changing their opinions based on EVIDENCE that can be presented to them no matter what the subject, be it faith, morality, human sexuality, abortion or any of the controversial issues facing society.

Today's High School student studies and interacts in an atmosphere where Sexuality is common place. Based on conversations that I have had, at least 100% of all high school students know at least 1 or more 15-16 year old that is pregnant. I don't have official statistics but based on my conversations, the virgin is outnumbered  and is in a very small minority. Bi-sexual and same sex relationships are much more common today than at any other time.

Technology is so important to this age group. They are at the cutting age of what is recent and popular. What they do today with technology, the apps they use to communicate with, are what their parents will be using in 2-3 years. Recently I was at a wedding and at least 20 adults over the age of 60 came up to me and told me that they follow me on Facebook. High School students don't use Facebook as they used to. Maybe they don't use it because all of their parents and grandparents are on it now.
Instagram, Twitter, Snap-chat and other such sites are more popular for them. Smaller updates, more visually driven and temporary.

My question to church leaders, Pastors and committees and board members is this:
What are you doing to reach this generation? How are you strategically planning to reach their hearts and minds? Is relevance an issue when you are selecting a man or woman to lead your youth? Is what qualifies your youth Pastor a Bible College degree that they got 15 years ago in a foreign country?
Do your youth relate to him/her? What experiences do your leaders have that qualify them to reach your youth? An important lesson that I have learned is that it is so important to know who you are ministering to. The youth that you see at youth group or in church on Sunday mornings is not necessarily the same young person on Monday through Friday. Many have a church identity and a school identity. It is useless to try to minister to their church worldview and that ministry not impact who they are at school. I encourage Youth Leaders, Pastors and parents to go to your kids schools, have lunch in their cafeteria, walk the hallways in between class. I guarantee that you will be challenged to minister with greater Relevance to the 2014 High School Student.

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; Proverbs 27:23

My Prayer, My Song

My Song is My Prayer

So often when I walk into a service and the Worship team begins to lead in, the songs that are selected verbalize exactly what I am feeling or exactly what I need to hear.

Recently I went to a Concert with my fiancé. We had planned to take a good friend to this concert for her birthday. I went with no expectation; neither did I go necessarily with a ‘spiritual mind frame’.  To my amazement, the moment I walked in, the performer that was opening the concert began encouraging all of us to open our hearts and to see that night as an opportunity to get into the presence of God. Specifically the focus of the night was to cast our cares on the Lord.  A link to the song can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSJZoEoVPy4&feature=youtube_gdata_player                

I immediately began to communicate with the Lord and say:  ‘God you are talking to me right now! You are telling me that I need to trust you with what I am going through and what I need.’

Usually when we think about the book of Psalms, we realize that these were songs that were written and sung during various events, festivals, and celebrations in the lives of the Children of Israel. Moses, David, Asaph, Lemuel and others contributed to writing the 150 Psalms. Today many contemporary songs that we sing are based on verses from this book. I came across an interesting verse a few months ago:

Psalms 72:20. The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

David wrote many Psalms and this verse gives us a beautiful description of the songs that he sang.           I can imagine him out in the field, as the sun was setting and as his day was winding down after taking care of his father’s sheep, he goes to his bag, grabs his harp and as he starts to pluck the strings, and his heart begins to pray. I believe that every Psalms that he wrote, every Psalm that he sang was not just a song, Psalms 72:20 describes them as prayers. I believe that they were the intimate prayers of his heart. They were all verbal and written expressions of what he was feeling, what he was asking for, what he was thinking at that moment. 

Imagine if every time we walked into church, as we enter into a service and hear the songs being sung, we wouldn’t just sing but we would pray the words. The reality about our God is that He always answers prayers.  Some people that feel ‘musically challenged’ say: I can’t sing. That may or may not be true, but this verse makes me realize that a song is more than rhythm, a melody and cadence.  You may not feel like you can sing, but you can pray. The next time you step into church and as the lyrics project onto the screen, Pray! My song is My Prayer to God.

Psalms 5:1-3

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.

1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Travel Blog: India Spring 2011

 I am in India for the next 5 weeks. I hope and pray that you keep my trip in your prayers. I going to attempt to maintain an online journal. I will write as often as possible. Here is the link for the Travel Blog:

http://www.travelpod.com/z/michaelmarkm/1/1301084244

Elevate 2010 #2 - Sunday Night & Project Bless America

On the first night of the Elevate Conference, Bishop Joseph Garlington
spoke on the Power of the Holy Spirit. He made some great observations.

People in the church today are trying to accomplish New Testament Church works
without New Testament Church power.

He was sharing how unfortunately the Holy Spirit has been reduced to an experience and described as 'it'. The Holy Spirit is a person.

The same Holy Spirit that was inside of Jesus is the same Holy Spirit that we have received.

We have the 'Full Version' of God living within us.

I am bigger on the inside than I am on the outside.

He shared a great story about watching an older lady praying for a girl to be set free from an oppression of the devil and she simply placed a hand on her forehead and said: 'Holy Spirit come and do your work.' There was no effort, no struggle.

There is real power when we can minister from a place of rest and not a place where we are struggling and striving to make something happen!

Also in other news, one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in America is the Nepalese peoples. A few years ago in Atlanta, God called an ordinary man and gave him a mandate to reach this ethnic group with the Gospel and the love of Christ.
He obeyed the call of God and now the ministry to this people group here in America is growing at an incredible rate. Yesterday I received a call from him and he solicited prayers and support. Please do keep the ministry in Prayer. The name of the ministry is going to be called Project Bless America.

I love that name because it denotes what our role is as Christians here in America.
If you are of ethnic origin like I am (even though I was born in America), we must realize that God brought us to this land to bless and serve the people of this land.

The last thing that Jesus told us to do before he died was to follow his example of service. In John 13 he gets on his knees, dons a towel and washes feet. In Christianity, we need to recapture the concept of service. Our impact can have such huge significance.

Here I am, Send ME (Amazing People - Amazing Songs)

This week I am at the Elevate Conference at Covenant Church in Dallas
All of the services are streamed live and can be seen at http://www.covenantchurchlive.com/ or on Daystar TV on Tuesday and Wednesday from 7:30 pm to 9:00pm (Central)

I hope to blog about the conference and highlight a word or a person or an event that has had a significant impact on my life.

On Saturday night the service was called Elevate the Nations where the Missionaries and National leaders were encouraged, prayed over and released. It was inspiring to see so many people that have dedicated their lives to serve God in different nations all over the world. My friends David & Liney Chacko(http://www.globalrenewal.org/) and James Mathew of Sacred Revolution were among the ministries that are in this network. There was even a lady and her husband that are serving at a church in the city of Ephesus. That is the one city in the world that I have a huge desire to visit.

The entire service was very powerful, but one of the testimonies that was highlighted was that of a precious Pastor from Haiti. He and his wife are living in a tent and have been living like that since January 12th. He shared that right after the earthquake happened he went outside and saw that his entire compound was destroyed. They have a home where they take care of over 50 young boys and as he looked he saw the limp, lifeless body of one of his boys laying on the ground. Suddenly the Spirit of God came upon Pastor and he declared: In the name of Jesus I call back life into your Spirit! The boy immediately began to respond and life came back into his body.

The atmosphere was electric.

Pastor Ralph Holland in his sermon emphasized the need to be filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit.

One of the highlights of the service was to hear so many new (at least to me) songs of dedication to the service of God. My eyes filled with tears of joy and surrender as the words ministered to my Spirit. It is always a cleansing experience when we can lay aside our agenda and rededicate our lives to God as a sacrifice.

One was a song was called Made to Live For You from the album Declare Your Name by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Powerful lyrics.



I was made to live for you...

Another song that was song was 'Follow You' by the group Leeland.

The words say: I'll follow you into the homes of the broken, follow you into the world...

One thing that we talked about after the service is that it is easy to sing a song with powerful words, but it is dangerous to sing that song and not mean what we are singing.

On Saturday I saw and met so many amazing people that are not just singing words but they are living the life. Along with Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 6, God is looking for people to answer His call and to say: Here am I, Send Me!